Dr. Barbara Casper | Obamacare offers millions chance at health

Dr. Barbara Casper

I am writing in response to the recent letter from U.S. Reps. Thomas Massie and Jim Bridenstine advocating that Congress defund Obamacare. As a medical professor and an internist, I have observed firsthand the consequences of the lack of health care to the citizens of Kentucky.

Unfortunately, Kentucky has some of the worst health rankings. We rank 50th in smoking, 50th in cancer deaths, 48th in heart attacks, 43rd in sedentary lifestyles, 41st in diabetes and 40th in obesity. Many of these health risks are because of lack of access to health care linked to the lack of medical insurance. Currently 49 million people in the United States lack health insurance, 621,000 of them in Kentucky.

The risks of not having insurance are substantial - uninsured people have a 40 percent increased risk of dying in the next year. Between 2000 and 2006 it is estimated that 2,500 adults in Kentucky between the ages of 25 and 64 died because of lack of insurance. These are our neighbors, relatives, co-workers and friends. These are 2,500 people who had potentially treatable illnesses but were not able to get health care due to lack of health insurance. The Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) will help to correct this situation.

The House has voted over 40 times to repeal Obamacare. Reps. Massie and Bridenstine have advocated for a new tactic of defunding Obamacare. The majority of their opinion piece was spent justifying how the defunding will work but never once indicated an alternative solution for providing health care to those who are uninsured. In fact, no legislator who has decried Obamacare as a complete failure has provided a viable alternative.

I have been invited to participate in several panel discussions in the last year to advocate for the law and while my colleagues on the other side of the debate have been vehement in their disdain for the law, when asked about an alternative, none has been able to provide one. Instead those people who oppose the law have been incredibly successful in providing misinformation and scare tactics that confuse the public.

A colleague of mine shared a story of a patient he saw recently who lacked health insurance. A year ago, the patient had some health issues and was hospitalized, resulting in a very large bill. He was told to follow up as an outpatient, but because of the cost of care, chose not to. He recently sought treatment in the emergency room and though his problem had worsened, he decided to forgo further care so that his family would not be strapped with bills.

After Jan. 1, he would be able to get coverage through Obamacare, but the patient became irate at that suggestion and said he didn't want the government intruding in his life.I marvel at how successful the Republicans have been at spreading such misinformation about the law.

Here is what it is. It is a way to provide health insurance (and access to health care) to 30 million people. In Kentucky alone, roughly 320,000 people will qualify for Medicaid. Another 256,000 people will qualify for subsidized plans and 55,000 people will be able to get health care through the exchanges. They can't be excluded for pre-existing conditions or limits on coverage. Already children 26 and younger can stay on their parents' insurance plans. States that have implemented the health exchanges are seeing lower than expected premiums. You will hear that the premiums are higher than what people currently pay. That may be true in some circumstances but many people have had bare bones coverage and the new plans are much more robust.

Right now, three of five bankruptcies in the United States are related to medical expenses. Many people in that situation have insurance but high out-of-pocket costs as well as limits on coverage have contributed to this situation.

Many people, including Reps. Massie and Bridenstine, have commented on the effect of the Affordable Care Act on businesses. Currently in the United States, 97 percent of businesses already provide health insurance for their employees. It is estimated that fewer than 1 percent of businesses will be affected by the employer mandate and that portion of the law has been delayed. The potential for a healthier workforce should be positive for future employers. In addition, it is estimated that there will be 17,000 new jobs in Kentucky once the act is implemented.

As a physician who has spent the last 28 years of my career in Kentucky and Tennessee caring for the uninsured and underinsured, I support the Affordable Care Act as a way to enable our people to have access to medical care.

We cannot go back to how things have been - some people, including our congressmen, having excellent health care coverage while others must choose between feeding their children or taking potentially life-saving medications.

I don't think this is who we are as a nation. I urge Reps. Massie and Bridenstine to share their plan to address this problem because I have to believe since they are so keen on killing the bill they must have a better idea. We are all waiting to hear it.

BARBARA R. CASPER, M.D.

Louisville 40207

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Email this article

Dr. Barbara Casper | Obamacare offers millions chance at health

I am writing in response to the recent letter from U.S. Reps. Thomas Massie and Jim Bridenstine advocating that Congress defund Obamacare.